Day Twelve Home

(I think. Maybe day eleven, maybe thirteen. Who actually knows).

Lanie's best friend walked by our house and said hi through the window.

After 4 "snow days" by the state, we are in full swing of attempting to get kids online to learn virtually. The "snow days" were granted so that we did not have to make up the time. Now the state of Massachusetts wants some form of children doing review work or continued learning. There is also a huge disparity already forming with kids from lower income areas versus (mainly three) economically advantaged towns. They are providing distance learning, while places like Lynn and Fall River cannot provide devices for children to learn on or from.


Our district wanted us to check on the families, asking three main questions:

1.) are you well and safe?
2.) do you have food?
3.) do you have technology and internet?

Me spending hours on the phone on text and three way calls with interpreters trying to get people  onto computers and into programs.

Lanie pitched right in.

  For most of the families we are down to question 3 and then working on getting devices out and operational. Meanwhile, grade level, department, administrative teams are meeting figuring out available resources and meeting as a class community.

Simultaneously my own children are doing the same.

Every time we try to leave the house to get some fresh air, someone has a huge fit. Today was Lanie's turn. This is when she "HATED GOING FOR A WALK" and "WASN'T PUTTING SOCKS ON!"

Everyone found a walking stick and no one got hurt.

Not Loving the Sign

Saw this at a local Starbucks.  

Projects

Sam has been working on projects lately.  This means that he has collected a random assortment of art-craft stuff and keeps it in a bin.  He then raids the recycling basket for more.  Everyday when he starts his project he needs his scissors, which are inevitably missing or at the bottom of the bin.  We have a conversation about the scissors which goes something like,
"Where are my scissors?"
"Did you check your bin?  And you don't need to dump it out to check it."
The bin gets dumped.  "They're not here, someone took them."
"Maybe you left them in the other room."
"Can I use your scissors?"
"No."
"I'll look for them, but I think someone took them."
This is where I have to stop what I am doing to go and find them before the whole house is turned upside down.

My two favorite projects are:

1.  Sam cutting up the puffy paint tactile letters that I spent about 2 hours creating (it's hard to write in puffy paint!) I just discovered them chopped up this morning.

 Letters before the cutting.

And after.


2.  Sam using my Victoria's Secret catalog as his project (it was in the recycling bin).  Here he is hard at work.

Sam Works

Sam has decided that he goes to work like Mom and Dad, which he told us the other day.  He knows most of the time when one of us are out of the house, we are "at work."  When Chris was driving him to daycare the other day, they passed the lot where the local DPW backhoe is stored.  The backhoe wasn't there.
"Backhoe?" Sam asked.
Chris explained that the backhoe was working.  Sam thought about this.  "Mama work?" he asked.
"Right," said Chris, "and Daddy will go to work after I drop you at daycare."
"Daddy work."  Sam agreed.
"Yep."
"Sam work." Sam decided.
"No, Sam goes to daycare to play and learn," Chris told him.
"Sam work."
"Sam goes to daycare with his friends to play."
"Sam work."
We think that he has determined that if someone is not at home they are "working."  So I guess we have an 18 month old who "works."

Back to Work

Back to work and now immersed in it.  I think to post blogs and then there is just so little time.  Sam is adjusting to his new daycare, he loves it, but we pay dearly because he misses us so much that he likes to visit with us at all hours of the night and some days just wants to be held after work for hours on end.  So chores like laundry, cleaning, dishes are really hard to do.  I wish, like he does, that I could sit on the floor for hours and play with him, or be outside running around, (or even looking at trucks)!  Work gets busier everyday and when I want to be relaxing, or emailing, or updating the blog, I am checking work email or thinking ahead (or behind), or correcting work.  I can't imagine not working, but part time seems more and more ideal.  Hoping there is a good school year ahead and that we all adjust completely sometime soon!

Time Change

We set the clocks forward, losing an hour of sleep.  I was prepared for an easy week waking up for work, in a quiet house, getting ready with minimal interruptions (read sleeping baby).  My alarm is set to go off at 5:40.  On Sunday, Sam woke up at 6 am (really 5 am).  I thought it was a fluke and figured the work week would be different.  On Monday morning at 5:15 am I heard a little cry, Sam was ready for his day, and exhausted by the time he had to leave house at 7 am.  The same thing the next day more or less.  His internal clock overly prepared   for the time change.  I am still adjusting.